80 Percent of the Jews in United States Are American-born

June 29, 1959

NEW YORK (Jun. 28)

Eighty percent of the 5,260,000 Jews now living in the United States are American-born, according to the 1959 edition of the American Jewish Year Book published jointly by the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Publication Society of America.

The year book, edited by Morris Fine and Milton Himmelfarb, carries data showing that in the 13-year post-war period, from 1946 to 1958, Jewish philanthropy contributed more than $1,780,000,000 through central Jewish community organizations for a broad number of diverse causes. In another section, the year book reported that anti-Semitic agitation in this country has increased in the South with the growth of desegregation tensions. “The bulk of the hatemongers’ activity continues to the extensive distribution of fliers, leaflets and pamphlets,” the report said.

In a report on world Jewish population, the year book said there was a total Jewish population estimated at more than 12,000,000. Of this number, about 6,200,000 Jews live in North, Central and South America; about 3,500,000 are in Europe, while Asia has about 1,900,000. Some 560,000 Jews live in Africa, and about 65,000 are in Australia and New Zealand. The population of Israel, according to the year book report, is approximately 1,780,000 Jews and 217,000 non-Jews.